


Read My Lips

by TuppingLiberty



Series: Tupping Liberty's prompt ficlet series [12]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: BB-8 is his translator, Deaf!Poe, Except Poe is deaf, M/M, canonverse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-01
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-03 12:22:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8713786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: Update: Chapter 6 is explicit, and the fic rating has been bumped up to reflect that. Basically, what if Poe Dameron were deaf? (Update: I apologize for using the derogatory term "mute" before. I'm sorry if I offended anyone out of my ignorance.)Based on a tumblr post by Sauntering-down, who had a dream that Poe was deaf and whacky hijinks with BB-8 as translator ensued. And then I was like, but this should be a fic! And then I attempted to turn a dream prompt into something realistic, and here's where we are. There will be whacky hijinks, but this is just an introduction.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sauntering_down](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sauntering_down/gifts).



> Based on the [tumblr post:](http://sauntering-down.tumblr.com/post/153831172883/i-fell-asleep-for-about-twenty-minutes-and-had-a)  
> i fell asleep for about twenty minutes and had a short but hilarious dream where Poe was deaf and BB-8 was his interpreter for people who didn’t understand sign language. i use the term “interpreter” very loosely because BB-8 pretty much did whatever the hell he wanted - and he was sick of Poe and Finn tiptoeing around one another instead of getting it on in the cockpit of Poe’s X-wing or whatever. so Poe would be like tell Finn i’ll meet him in the mess hall in ten, i just want to finish up here, and BB-8 would turn to Finn and beep meet Poe in the mess hall in ten minutes once he’s done giving his ship a tongue-bath BY THE WAY HE SAID YOU HAVE A CUTE BUTT* before trundling away. and poor Finn only had a rudimentary grasp of binary, so he kind of knew what BB-8 was saying, but kept thinking he was misinterpreting all the scandalous comments.
> 
> i don’t remember much else, but i’m pretty sure there was a subplot where Rey (who ofc understood BB-8 perfectly) came back from Jedi training and overheard an exchange that convinced her BB-8 had some kind of crush on Finn…
> 
> *actual quote from this dream

Adrenaline from the panic attack was still pumping from his veins when he pulled the wrung-out pilot from the interrogation room - torture chamber, more like. That was why he’d done it, taken the pilot. He wasn’t thinking clearly, obviously. But Slip was dead and he’d heard things about this pilot...like the fact that he’d gone through all the torture without uttering so much as a groan. He shuddered. Anyone that could take Kylo Ren in their head that stoically would definitely be able to help him out. Every trooper hated interrogation duty and avoided it - if they could. The rumors that Ren could see your thoughts, or plant false ones in your brain… even his presence was unsettling.

FN-2187 pulled the pilot into a side room. “Listen carefully,” he said, his voice coming out metallic through the filter of his helmet. “If you do as I say, I can get you out of here.”

The pilot continued to stare at his face in confusion, looking utterly petrified. There was blood staining the side of his face; maybe he’d sustained a head injury, FN-2187 thought with terror. Kriff, if the man couldn’t respond, how the hell was he supposed to fly them out of here?

He pulled off his helmet in frustration, and strangely, the man looked calmer as his gaze dropped to FN-2187’s lips. “This is a rescue.” At that, the man looked up at his eyes again, all bright and hopeful. “Can you fly a TIE-fighter?” The man’s gaze had dropped to his lips again, and FN-2187 licked them subconsciously. He waited a beat as the man’s brow furrowed, then grinned the largest, happiest grin he’d even seen and nodded frantically. 

He held his bound hands up, moving his fingers around, and it was FN-2187’s turn to pause and frown. “I don’t- I can’t take them off yet. They have to think you’re still my prisoner.”

The man rolled his eyes, then pointed to his ear and shook his head. 

“You...can’t hear.”

The pilot looked to the ceiling, then nodded, impatience clear. 

All thoughts of escaping began to drain away from FN-2187. “Well, shit.” He jumped when the pilot hit him hard on the arm, then gestured to the both of them, and used the Stormtrooper field-combat gesture for ‘Go.’ “Where the hell did you learn that?”

The pilot just grinned and winked, nodding back to the hallway. Finn nodded back, slipping his helmet on again and sticking his gun to the pilot’s back.  _ We’re gonna do this. _ FN-2187 wasn’t exactly sure where the reassuring thought came from, but it helped him calm.

Aboard the TIE-fighter, FN-2187’s heart pounded as he heard the pilot’s fingers fly over the buttons and keys of the command. There was a soft intake of breath, which FN-2187 was trying to interpret, when a computerized voice intoned, “Hi. Poe Dameron. Thanks for the rescue. You know how to shoot?”

“Uh, blasters, I can,” FN-2187 replied, before remembering that there was no way the pilot - Poe could hear him without seeing his lips. His words appeared on the screen before him, pausing a second, giving him a chance to correct them, before they shot off screen and...to Poe’s?

“Same principle. Use toggle on left to switch between missiles, cannons, and mag pulse. Trigger to fire,” came the computerized voice.

“How can-”

“Little program I developed in flight school. Nice to know it works on TIEs.”

“Oh.” He felt the TIE lift off, and things were silent and frantic for a bit, as they fought to escape the hangar. 

“Cannons. Up ahead, centered for you. Got ‘em?”

FN-2187 was sweating as he set up the shot but his aim was true, and the cannons exploded. He shouted, unable to believe he’d done it. “Did you see that? Did you see that?!” 

“I did,” the computer voice intoned, and the juxtaposition of the calm tone had FN-2187 laughing a little hysterically.

“What’s your name?”

“FN-2187.”

“Finn what?”

“No, FN-2187.” 

“A fucking number?”

FN-2187 blushed, then shrugged, then remembered Poe couldn’t see him. “Yeah, that’s the only name they ever gave me.”

“That’s disgusting, Finn.”

“No, FN.  Eff-Enn.”

“Sorry, buddy, I’m not calling you a fucking number. Finn. Finn. Finn. Fuck. Can’t get the computer to translate it correctly. System’s fighting me.”

FN-2187’s protest died on his lips. Finn had...kind of a nice sound to it, actually. Finn. “Finn,” he tested. “No, it’s okay, I like that actually.”

“Finn. Nice to meet you.”

FN- Finn watched in horror as blue missiles shot from the Destroyer. “Poe-”

Calmly, the computer talked him through the shots. Not the computer, Finn corrected himself. Poe. Poe talked him through the shots. As he finished off the third missile, he felt Poe angle toward the planet. “Where are you going?”

“Back to Jakku.”

“We can’t go back to Jakku! We have to get out of the system!”

“I have to get my droid. BB unit, black and orange. One of a kind. Very important to me.”

“I don’t care what color the droid is-”

Something hit them, and sparks exploded in front of him even as they made their way through Jakku’s atmosphere.

“Poe?”

No computer voice. The hit must have jarred the system, and knocked out Poe’s programming. Which meant, Finn figured, that he could scream however much he wanted as they spiralled down to Jakku, trailing smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn discovers Poe's not dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not promising daily updates, I'm not. But here's the next chunk.

Finn squinted against the bright D’qari sun, then tried to analyze the feeling in his chest when he recognized the mop of brown curly hair atop the man crouched by the droid. Poe. Poe had been the  _ brilliant _ pilot at Maz’s. Poe was  _ alive. _ He was filled with feelings - relief, admiration, anxiety. 

He watched Poe make excited gestures at BB-8, then look up and lock eyes with him across the tarmac. Poe’s grin made all the other emotions in him move aside for elation.  _ Poe was alive. _ Suddenly his feet were running, taking him across the runway and into Poe’s open arms. Being wrapped in Poe’s arms, the smell of X-Wing and male surrounding him, Finn relaxed a fraction for the first time in hours. If Poe was miraculously alive, he could help Finn get Rey back. 

Poe pulled back, his hands still on Finn’s arms, his grin infectious. Finn could feel the gratefulness radiating off of him. “You’re alive,” Finn breathed out, immediately regretting the obvious words.

Poe nodded, still grinning, then turned to BB-8 and making more gestures. BB-8 beeped in binary, then looked back at Finn. A little screen popped out of BB’s body, and text scrolled across it. “<Finn - you completed my mission!>” Poe gave him a beat to read it, then pulled him into another hug. 

“Yeah, uh- yeah,” Finn rubbed his neck, embarrassed. “Oh, uh, your jacket-” He started to shrug it off, noticing that his words were now scrolling across BB-8’s screen. 

Poe stopped him, shaking his head and moving the jacket back up to Finn’s shoulders with a wink. Some more quick gestures, and then- “<Keep it, it suits you.>”

Finn swallowed. He’d never owned a piece of clothing before. “Th-thank you.”

Poe nodded, then raised a hand to his chin and lowered it toward Finn. “<Thank you.>” 

Finn repeated the gesture, and Poe rewarded him with a grin, a nod, and a few gestures. “<Nice work. And you’re welcome.>”

“Poe, I need your help.”

“<Anything.>” Poe pulled him along, BB-8 rolling with them, to the command room. Finn tried not to think about the weight of Poe’s hand in his, about how it felt. 

He saw Poe throw gestures to various Resistance personnel along the way, who gestured back, and he marveled. Marveled at how an organization would accommodate someone like Poe instead of...of… Finn shut down the thought of what happened to defective Stormtroopers. It was too distracting to dwell on right now. He needed to focus on rescuing Rey.

“<General, this is the man that rescued me.>” 

Finn looked up from BB-8’s screen just in time to catch General Organa’s warm smile. He’d been expecting - he wasn’t exactly sure what, but certainly not a warm reception, not after escaping the organization the Resistance was fighting so hard against. 

BB-8 rolled over, jacking into the computer system to display the map to Skywalker. He noticed that Poe stuck close to the droid, and the droid kept its sensor on its master. As they went through the plans to destroy Starkiller Base, Finn realized how symbiotic their relationship really was, understanding now the desperation in both the droid and the man to find each other again. 

Plan set, Finn started to follow Han and Chewie to...wherever they were going to get ready, but Poe stopped him with a hand on his arm. He nodded toward the hallway, and Finn followed, all the way to a small room off the main corridor. He gestured, and the read out appeared on BB’s screen. “<It’s hard for me to have private conversations.>”

“Oh! Kriff, I bet it would be.”

“<Sometimes I ask BB to just make the text really small.>” Poe smiled wide, eyes crinkling at the sides in a way that twisted at Finn’s insides.

The emotion turned him gruff. “What did you need?” he asked brusquely.

The tone was lost on Poe, of course, but the frown wasn’t. Poe nodded swiftly, his cheeks coloring. “<I just wanted to thank you again. I can get by without BB-8, of course, but my life is a colorless, meaningless void without him. I don’t know how I would go on. He’s my best friend, my->” The text on BB-8 stopped scrolling as Poe’s hand stopped moving and he glared at the droid instead. There was a flurry of gestures, then BB made a sad low beep, entirely for Finn’s benefit, he was pretty sure, and then Poe was pointing at BB aggressively, then Finn, before crossing his arms.

BB beeped again with disappointment and turned to Finn. “<I am very sorry for not translating properly.>”

Finn chewed his lip and eyed the droid a little suspiciously. It seemed something...less than contrite. But he nodded. “Did you and BB-8, like, make up this language?” he asked, looking down at the droid for Poe’s answer.

“<Sorry, what? When you don’t look at me, I can’t read your lips.>”

Finn looked back up at Poe, startled. “Oh, stars, sorry! Is that why you’re always staring at them?”

Poe blushed, then nodded. BB rolled into Poe, then, nudging him, and Poe made some more gestures, seeming to have an argument with his droid, who pulled out his own instruments and began moving them in patterns that obviously meant something to Poe. With something that Finn thought was the droid equivalent of an eyeroll, the droid rolled back toward Finn and lit up with Poe’s message.

“<Kind of. I programmed BB with a type of sign language just for us. Mostly shorthand stuff. The signs I use with everyone else, like the one I taught you earlier for ‘thank you?’ Those are common across the galaxy.>”

“Oh. Uh, sorry that I don’t know them.”

“<It’s okay. That’s what BB is for. But I could teach you.>” Poe offered him a smile. Finn was finding that he didn’t really care that they were speaking through a computer screen, as long as Poe kept smiling at him like that.

“If...If everything goes well, I’d like that.”

Poe reached out his hand, taking Finn’s and squeezing it. “<I’ll see you on the other side of this, Finn.>”

Finn managed a little smile of his own, and a nod, unconsciously slipping into the type of body language that Poe used to get by. In Stormtrooper training, he was used to listening for commands and orders. He thought of the battles on Jakku or at Maz’s, and how terrifying it would be to not be able to hear anything. Poe’s terrified face when he’d spoken in his Stormtrooper helmet flashed back through his mind, and his admiration of the pilot only grew.

All too soon, they were suited up and heading out. On the tarmac, Poe held Finn’s shoulder, then gazed into his eyes with a confident nod.  _ You got this. _


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn wakes from his coma.

_ You’re going to get better, Finn. And then we’ll hunt down the asshole that did this to you together. You’ll be my gunman, right? You’re an amazing shot. _

Poe started at the soft touch on his shoulder, blushing as he reluctantly drew his hand from Finn’s, where he’d been spelling words into his hand.

“<Don’t stop on my account, Commander. The physical contact is good for him.>” Dr. Kalonia smiled as she signed efficiently, then took Finn’s vitals just as efficiently. The Doc was one of the few people on base that was fluent - a deaf relation back home, she’d mentioned once. Jess and Snap were maybe the next closest, but most of the time he relied on BB-8 to communicate. 

Poe waited until she was looking at him again. “<Any change?>”

She shook her head. “<His vitals are always better when you’re here, though,>” she replied with a wink. “<Research shows that talking to coma patients is beneficial. I don’t see how this is any different.>” She peered into his face, then, and Poe broke the eye contact, not wanting her to see the shadows under his eyes or the strain there. No fooling Dr. Kalonia, though. She waited patiently until he met her gaze again. “<How are your appointments with the counselor going?>”

Poe chewed on his lip. “<Fine.>” 

She arched her brow, but Poe refused to elaborate. She sighed a little, then patted him on the shoulder and left the room. Poe frowned, picking up Finn’s hand again.

_I don’t like the counselor. He doesn’t sign, so I have to use BB. I love BB, I do. He’s my right-hand droid. But I can’t tell...Even if I wanted to talk about my fucked up head, I can’t tell BB the things I’m thinking, or he’d freak out._ _He barely lets me come here alone. And I don't know if I even_ want _to tell the counselor that... Every time I close my eyes, I see that mask_ _._ Poe paused, gazing at the sleeping face of the brave warrior who’d saved his life. Who’d fought the demon currently haunting his dreams. His hero. _Who needs to sleep, anyway? You’re getting enough for the both of us._ Poe closed his eyes as he spelled words out to Finn. He was worried that a tiny part of him almost didn’t want Finn to wake up, because then he’d be losing this completely non-judgemental captive audience for all the thoughts he couldn’t to pour out to the counselor.

_ So yeah, I’m not sleeping. I hate seeing that fuckhead in  _ my _ head. All my life, if I wanted to stay silent, I could. But now...now it’s like I’ve been completely and utterly exposed. And now the General’s grounded me, which is so fucking stupid. _

He felt Finn’s hand twitch under his and he started, popping his eyes open. Finn was looking up at him, face silent. “<Finn!>” Poe signed, then felt the helpless stab that always came when he was faced with someone who didn’t speak his language. “<I’ll be right back,>” he reassured uselessly.

\----------------------

Try as he might, Finn couldn’t shake the image he’d woken up to. No, not the image, he corrected himself. The feeling. The light presses on his hand, that’s what he’d noticed first, even when everything had still been dark and fuzzy in his mind. The touch was familiar, the pattern recognizable as such even if the meaning was foreign. And then, consciousness had come back to him slowly, and he’d eased his eyes open, and there he was, the pilot, the one Finn vaguely remembered in the darkness of his dreams, or wherever he’d been. Poe Dameron, his own eyes shut as his fingers flew across Finn’s palm, warm and sure. He still looked wrung-out, even though the head injury he’d sustained on the Finalizer was healed - an indication of just how long Finn had been out. There were deep bruises under his eyes, just where his impossibly long and delicate eyelashes were resting. Finn twitched, wanting to ask what was wrong, and the spell broke as Poe had opened his eyes. Before Finn could really register what was happening, Poe had been out the door with a quick sign, and when Finn tried to call out to him, for some reason deep inside of him he wasn’t sure of, his own lungs had apparently forgotten how to force sound out, and he ended up in a coughing fit that lasted until the doctor came running in. 

Without Poe.

Poe’s absence felt especially apparent to Finn, but everyone hovered around him, checking readings and testing responses to stimuli, as if something vital wasn’t missing from the room.

His body was functioning normally, but he was weak. He felt weak, for the first time since he’d entered Stormtrooper training and began daily calisthenics. He could barely walk across the room to the adjoining bathroom, relying heavily on a nurse instead. He felt weak, and he hated it, considering the fight they still needed to win.

Poe returned, BB-8 on his heels, as Finn was coming back from the bathroom, and Finn realized with a pang that his absence had only been to get his interpreter. He made a vow to himself to learn whatever he could to help him communicate with Poe.  Finn waved, at once feeling shy and happy that Poe was back. BB-8 rolled forward with a little message, his sensors on Poe as Poe signed. “<Hey Finn, glad to see you up and about.>” Poe’s smile was bright and-

_ Stars. _ It was...Finn couldn’t exactly put words to it. Instead, he sent the nurse away with a nod and a thank you (proud of himself when he remembered to touch his chin), and hobbled toward Poe, steadying himself on the wall. And he couldn’t get the words out, but then Poe’s arms were wrapped around him anyway, and his head was buried in Poe’s neck and yes. Yes, this is what he’d needed. Contact.

“<They told you about Rey and the map and Skywalker?>” Poe asked when he’d stepped back.

Finn nodded as he let Poe help him back to his bed, breathing heavily.  _ Stars _ , he thought again. At this point, he’d never be able to level a lightsaber at Ren. Get his revenge.

“<I know how you feel.>” Poe perched on his bed.

“Wh-” Finn coughed again, then realized his involuntarily clenched his fists. “What do you mean?”

“<Recovery’s a bitch.>”

Finn laughed a little, reading the swear word come across BB-8’s screen. BB gave a little beep, a verbal wink. “You’ve been injured before?”

“<Technically the general considers me injured right now.>” Eye roll from Poe, and a sarcastic beep from BB. “<She grounded me for all but the big stuff, stuff like Starkiller, until my psych eval is cleared.>”

Finn frowned, brow furrowing. “Your psych-”

But Poe wasn’t looking at him, instead signing angrily to BB-8. “<It’s fucking stupid. I’ll never be able to get that motherfucker if I don’t get cleared. All because of ‘reckless behavior.’ It’s not reckless if I don’t die.>”

Finn thought of the way Poe had swooped brilliantly - and sure, maybe recklessly, around Maz’s. 

Then he remembered Kylo Ren’s lightsaber burning into his shoulder, and then pain, and darkness, and Rey screaming. “Poe,” he said softly, waiting for BB-8 to get the man’s attention. When Poe’s gaze was on his lips, he continued, “We’re going to get cleared. Both of us. And then we’re going after that motherfucker. Okay?”

Poe’s eyes were bright on his, his nod fierce. He made a sign, mouthing the letters so Finn would understand.

“<Okay.>”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay but seriously I'm not doing daily chapters.   
> (This is how you tell a plot bunny has me by the teeth. Big, sharp, pointy teeth like this.)
> 
> (Did I say whacky hijinks? How about I just serve up ANGST instead?)


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> BB-8 does a little matchmaking.

Finn learned pretty quickly that BB-8 editorialized  _ a lot _ of what Poe said. Or...well...he had a hard time telling where Poe’s humor ended and the droid’s began. 

“<He programmed me that way,>” BB responded when Finn asked Poe, and Poe nodded confirmation. 

“<It’s kind of...retaliation for not learning to sign,>” Poe added with a smirk.

“That’s...okay, that’s funny, actually,” Finn huffed out as he bench pressed what he personally considered a pathetic amount of weight, but he was ‘healing’ and he had to ‘take his time.’  _ Stars. _

Poe was spotting him, eyeing him carefully, watching for signs that Finn was struggling, which of course only made Finn want to push himself harder for the man. 

Since Poe was keeping his hands free to help Finn, should he need it, the conversation stopped for the most part, though BB was there, by his side, beeping his encouragement. 

The three of them had become a pretty regular sight around base. The recovery trio.

The thing was, even though everyone kept telling Finn he was doing great, he felt just as weak as ever, when things like bending over to pick up weights sent his back into spasms. And if the bruises under Poe’s eyes and the large amounts of caf he was sneaking were any indication, his mental therapy was going about as well as Finn’s physical.

Going nowhere, in other words.

Poe helped Finn lift the bar back into place, then handed Finn his water bottle when he sat up. Finn rucked up his shirt, using it to wipe his face and his hair from sweat. When he brought the sweaty shirt back down, he noticed Poe’s face was red, and he was very specifically not looking in Finn's direction. BB looked between them, giving a confused little chirp, before bringing out its instruments to sign with Poe. As he guzzled water, Finn was forced to admit that he was a little jealous of the droid, getting to share a secret language with Poe like he did. Because right now, he’d  _ really _ like to know what had put the embarrassed look on Poe’s face, and he had a feeling the droid was hearing all about it, the way Poe was furiously signing.

He felt silly just sitting and watching them sign, so he moved off, going into a series of stretches designed to limber up his back. He was in the middle of slowly reaching for his toes when BB rolled up to him, beeping excitedly, Poe hot on his heels.

“<POE THINKS YOU HAVE A CUTE BUTT.>”

“ _ What?! _ ”

He’d never seen Poe’s hands fly faster, at him, at BB, at the world, seemingly. His face was scarlet and his lips were saying “no”... a lot. Repeatedly. 

“Poe.  _ Poe. _ ” Finn laid a hand on Poe’s shoulder, careful not to interrupt his signing, but trying to get his attention. “<Okay,>” he signed when Poe stopped talking, hoping the point got across. “It’s <okay. I know BB8> was just joking,” he continued, switching between signing and not for the words he knew. He felt his own cheeks flush, now, as he realized how disappointed he was to think that it  _ was  _ just a joke. “It’s <okay,>” he repeated, before grabbing his water bottle and heading for the showers.

\---------------------------

He’d been given his own quarters, a total luxury to him, and somewhat a luxury here on the Resistance base. It was a reward for his actions on Jakku and Starkiller, which made Finn feel a little weird, to be honest. But since it meant a private space, well, he wasn’t going to analyze his feelings too hard.

He was scrolling the holonet, idly reading about history all over again - history from everyone else’s perspective, not just the First Order’s warped view - when there was a knocking on his door. 

When Finn swung it open, he found a sheepish looking Poe, alone. Finn glanced down the hall both ways, but Poe was definitely all by himself. “You don’t want a translator?” Finn asked nervously, worried about his ability to understand Poe without anyone to help.

Poe shook his head. He signed the word “no” and the name-sign for BB-8 very slowly for Finn, who nodded and chewed his lip. Poe smiled a little at the nervous gesture, then continued to sign slowly, while Finn repeated it aloud to check his understanding.

“I...I’m sorry…. For what, Poe?” At Finn’s question, Poe shook his head, continuing to sign. “...You...nice...uh-” Finn coughed when Poe pointed to his ass. “I have a nice butt?” Finn guessed, feeling himself go red.

Poe grinned and nodded and gave the signs for the apology again. 

“...You...nice..." Finn's lungs suddenly quit working when Poe reached out to touch his pec tentatively, eyes searching Finn's for objection. "...Chest?” Another nod, then hesitation again. Finn brought his hand up, laying it over Poe's on his chest, nodding at the man. Poe swallowed, smiling a little, as his free hand traveled up Finn's body, resting for a short time on his lips, before smoothing over his cheek. “Nice...lips? Face? Face. Oh.” Something bright bloomed in his heart. “Are you- do you-” Finn closed his eyes, trying to find his words. “Are you interested in me?”

Poe nodded, then arched a brow and pointed at Finn, the question obvious in his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m interested.” But just in case Poe had missed the message, Finn wrapped an arm around Poe’s waist and pulled him closer. Poe’s eyes lit up with delight, and the little catch of breath sounded like a fucking symphony to Finn’s ears. It was his turn to watch Poe’s lips, _stars_ , the beautiful full lips that Poe had the bad habit of biting, like he was doing right now, and Finn just couldn’t stop himself-

The kiss was everything Finn had been hoping for. Poe’s lips were soft against his, pliant and yielding to Finn’s. Finn licked across the bottom lip, then nibbled just where Poe liked to nibble when he was thinking about something. Poe’s hands, those sturdy, work-hard hands, were sliding up over Finn’s chest again, then up, and behind, through Finn’s hair, to bring him closer, and Finn’s next thought was -  _ Yeah, nothing lost in translation, here. _

The room was silent except for the sounds of their lips, and the breathy little sighs Poe was making, which Finn would gladly hear on repeat for the rest of his life. When he finally tore his lips away, the look on Poe’s face told him everything he needed, but, still- he pulled back a bit, and lifted a hand. “<Okay?>”

Poe smiled. “<Okay.>”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An end to pining because...I'm so bad at writing it. I just want my guys to be kissing, okay?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finn's getting better, Poe's getting worse.

Finn was letting the the rowdy chatter of the pilots filter through his mind without actually concentrating on it as he zoned in and out of his surroundings, his hands wrapped around a mug of caf. Sometimes, physical therapy could be emotionally intense - especially when he pushed himself too hard. Like, for instance, the slightly pulled muscle in his deltoid he was now nursing with a thermopatch, shoulder exposed to the air in his tank top. The pain had him resentful. While he wasn’t the best company, as far as talking, he enjoyed letting the conversation flow around him. It reminded him a little of dinner time back on the Finalizer with his squad, when they weren’t being monitored, anyway. 

His mood considerably brightened when Poe plopped down with two trays of food, and pushed one in front of Finn with a small kiss on his cheek.    
“<Papa Poe, at it again,>” Jess teased. 

Finn repeated the sign. “<Papa?>”

Poe rolled his eyes, and nodded, then glared at Jess. He nudged into Finn’s shoulder gently. “<Eat.>”

Beside the table, BB-8 began listing all of the biological reasons humans needed sustenance on his screen, and Finn laughed. “<Okay. I understand. I’ll eat.>” He began to break his roll up and sop it into the gravy of indeterminate origin on his plate. 

Poe gave him a satisfied nod and began poking at his own food, then looked up when Snap got the table’s attention with a flourish of his fork. 

“<See, we call Poe ‘papa’ because he’s always looking out for us->” Snap began, undeterred when Poe threw his roll at him, “<making sure we’ve had enough to eat, checking our diapers- hey!>” Snap finally quit teasing when BB rolled into his leg, hard, from the sound of it, and cussed at him. “<Tell your droid->” Snap gave up when Poe refused to lift his hands, and just continued chewing deliberately. He did pop a wink in Snap’s direction though.

The rest of dinner went about the same - Finn had learned awhile ago that the constant joking and BB pretending to act offended on Poe’s behalf was...pretty much a normal dinner for this crew. 

“<More?>” Poe asked Finn, pointing to his empty caf mug. Poe had been doing a really great job of simplifying his vocabulary for Finn’s sake - Finn was more determined than ever to be able to communicate with Poe without the middledroid - as lovely as he was - of BB-8. 

Finn nodded, and Poe asked the same to Snap and Jess as he stood.

“<Oh, no thanks, I’ve got an early mission tomorrow->” Too late, Jess shut her mouth and paused her hands, and the three of them all glanced surreptitiously at Poe for his reaction. 

Poe shook his head, plastering on a big smile even as Finn noticed a barely perceptible tightening of his jaw. He grabbed Finn’s caf cup and his own, nodded, and left.

Immediately, Snap flicked Jess on the hand. “Ow! I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to bring it up.”

“Is he talking to you?” Snap asked Finn. “Because he hasn’t been around the hangar at all, and, I mean, that makes sense, I guess, but for those first couple of weeks he was either by your side or hanging out with us in the hangar, keeping Black One in tune. He hasn’t been down to see us in days.”

“Um, I mean, yeah, he’s talking to me. We talk...about...stuff.” Finn blushed, knowing it was written all over his face.

“Yeah. Talk. ‘ _ Hey, Poe, what’s the sign for ‘will you make out with me? _ ’” Jess arched her brow at him.

“Look, I’m worried about him too, okay?” Finn ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. “He- That smile he just faked? He puts that on, like, anytime I even tangentially bring up his psych eval or being grounded or anything.”

Jess chewed on her lip, looking about as helpless as Finn felt whenever he thought about Poe’s evasion tactics.

When Poe returned, the conversation was stilted, though brightly cheery to match Poe’s fake attitude. Snap and Jess quickly made their excuses and left Finn alone with Poe, which settled Poe down a bit.

“<Shoulder?>” Poe asked, leaning down on Finn’s as they finished their caf together. Every part of Poe’s face showed how tired he was, though he was downing caf like he had to stay up all night.

“<I> strained?” Finn looked at BB-8 while BB translated, then watched as Poe showed him the sign. “<Strained it.>” Poe gave him a look that had him raising his hands defensively. “<I know, I know. Kalonia> yelled at me already.” Finn hesitated, looking at the shadows under Poe’s eyes before asking, “How was therapy today?”

Poe paused halfway through the sign for ‘okay,’ and Finn held his breath. “<He wants me to try exercise. Running, maybe.>”

“<That sounds okay?>” For once, Finn was glad Poe couldn’t tell the wary tone of his voice. He was so unsure of saying the right thing. 

“<Sure. Maybe it’ll make me sleepy,>” Poe signed quickly, barely letting Finn read the translation on BB’s screen before he pulled Finn over for a kiss. 

\---------------

The side benefit of Poe’s therapist’s suggestion was that Poe threw himself into an exercise routine that lined up with Finn’s. Finn had recently been given clearance for more strenuous cardio activity, so they took up running together. If sometimes they ran out to a secluded part of the forest that meant they could make out in peace, well, no one had found out yet. And Poe certainly had a way of making his heart pound.

While Finn’s body healed, though, Poe, despite doing everything he was supposed to be doing, seemed to only be getting worse. Finn knew he was attending therapy sessions. He’d met Poe outside of several for dinner; the Poe that had greeted him after a session was as falsely cheery as ever.

Poe did get annoyed, though, when Finn began to outpace him, then hold himself back so Poe could keep up. Poe’s hand had flown furiously, BB’s screen scrolling quickly. “<You need to not let me hold you back. Stop babying me. Stop bullshitting me. Just go. Go. I’ll catch up.>”

Poe didn’t come running with Finn the next day, but he did see him in the afternoon, waiting outside Leia’s office. “<Did you get summoned too?>”

“<Yeah.>” Finn gulped. Poe looked about as nervous as he felt. 

The door opened. Leia glanced at both of them. “<Finn, you first.>”

Poe squeezed his hand as he left, which made him feel a little better about how they’d left the running situation the day before.

Inside her office, Leia gestured at the guest chair, then sat herself. She scrolled through a datapad. “Dr. Kalonia’s reports have been very promising. How are you feeling?” She looked up, piercing him in her sharply intelligent gaze.

“Uh, well, good, ma’am. Getting there. Not 100%, yet, but getting there.” Finn paused, looking down at his hands. “I just want to thank you for spending all these resources and time on me. You didn’t have to-”

Leia cut him off with an arched brow. “You’re not in the First Order anymore, Finn,” she said gently. “We respect life here.”

Finn swallowed the ball of emotion threatening to burst out of his throat and nodded.

“Finn, I’d like you to start training with Resistance cadets. I know you have more training that a cadet, but it will give you the opportunity to learn our methods, tactics, etc. Do you have a preference on where you’d like to be?”

The thought of picking up a blaster again made him a little squeamish, and he tried to ignore the thought that the only thing that had really felt right in his hand was the light saber. That ship had literally sailed. Still- he had an asshole to repay for his back. And for fucking up Poe’s mind. His fist clenched at that thought. He eyed Leia, deciding he shouldn’t tell her that he and Poe were currently being motivated for recovery by their mutual desire to kick her son’s ass.

“Combat, ma’am.”

With a nod, she gave him a duty roster for the next day. “Thank you, Finn. Can you send Poe in?”

Outside, he told Poe that Leia was ready for him, but paused him with a hand on his arm before signing, “<I’ll wait for you, okay?>”

Poe grinned and nodded before closing the door behind him and BB-8.

A very short time later, Poe swung the door wide, causing it to slam against the wall and making Finn jump. Poe looked angrier than Finn had ever seen him as he stalked past Finn and down the hallway. Finn spared a glance back at the helpless-looking Leia before she shooed him off after Poe.

Finn caught up to Poe in a side hallway, and tapped his shoulder. Poe spun angrily, and Finn was surprised to see the glitter of unshed tears in his eyes. “<What’s wrong?>”

Though Poe’s hands didn’t move, BB’s screen read, “<Leia denied his request for some flight time.>”

Finn frowned. “Not even, like, for a little planet-side practice?”

Poe’s “<No>” was perfunctory and furious.

“<I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Poe.>”

At Finn’s obvious and easy regret, some of the anger seemed to flow out of Poe. He leaned back against the wall with a sigh. “<She’s says I’m not doing enough.>”

“<She said that?>” Finn asked, instantly furious on Poe’s behalf.

“<Not in so many words, no. But that’s what she meant.>” Poe shook his head as if to clear it, then looked back at Finn’s face, a smile already sliding into place. “<What’d she want you for?>”

Finn swallowed. “<She… she> cleared me for combat training.”

When Poe was finished reading his words, he smiled at Finn again. “<Great!>” he signed, a little too quickly to be believed. “<Well, I should go for a run.>” He turned away, and Finn touched his arm for his attention.

“<Do you want company?>”

Poe shook his head emphatically. “<No. No. I’ll just hold you back.>”

With that, Poe rushed away, and Finn was left feeling as helpless as ever.

\--------------------------------------

**[The Battle of Endor was a decisive battle between the Empire and the Rebel Alliance…]** Finn paused his casual scanning when he came across a familiar name. **[Han Solo, along with the Pathfinders…]** (The datapad listed names, here, ending with Kes Dameron. Finn clicked on the name.) **[Kes Dameron fought for the Rebel Alliance during the Galactic Civil War. Kes married Shara Bey, a fellow rebel fighter, before settling on Yavin IV.]** Kes’ page featured a holopic of who Finn presumed were Kes, Shara, and a toddler-aged Poe, standing in front of a sapling. Finn clicked on Shara’s highlighted name and began to read that, then clicked on the article about Force-sensitive trees. He wasn’t sure why he was feeling so restless, but the truth was, his arm hair had been standing on end for a good twenty minutes, the familiar twinges of panic running through his gut for no reason, though he was still uneasy about the… argument? The discussion he’d had with Poe a few hours ago. Giving Poe a little space seemed like the best idea though. He was just about to click on Luke Skywalker when there was a knocking on his door. Low, and not really a knocking, Finn thought, as he tossed the datapad away and crossed the room. More like-

When he opened the door, BB-8 was about to bang into it again. BB squeaked and course corrected when he saw Finn, beeping madly. “<Poe needs help. Right now.>”

Finn’s heart immediately slammed into overdrive as he placed the strange feeling he’d been having all afternoon. “Where is he?”

“<Our quarters.>”

Finn slammed the door to his own quarters behind him as he followed BB at a fast clip, ignoring the catch in his lungs at the exertion - his body was tired after the day’s therapy, but it could damn well  _ shut up _ for all Finn cared in the moment. His heart and lungs and legs were  _ screaming _ when he slid to stop in front of Poe’s door, hitting the special button that would make the lights flicker inside Poe’s quarters so he would know he had a visitor. “Can you get us in, BB-8?” Finn asked frantically when Poe didn’t answer.

BB beeped an affirmative, interfacing with the lock panel and unlocking the door. 

Finn wasn’t quite sure what he’d been expecting, but what he found was Poe, lying on his bunk, face screwed up in pain, hand thrown over his eyes. Realizing Poe had probably not seen the lights flicker in his present state, Finn flushed, embarrassed at the urgency he’d felt, now that it was such an invasion of privacy. 

“Can...can you get his attention, BB? Gently?” 

BB chirped low in agreement, then bumped slowly against the bunk, rocking it. With a less than kind sign, Poe moved his hand to see what BB wanted, and started when he saw Finn.

“<Sorry. Sorry. BB...BB thought you> were in trouble. Are you hurt? You’re in pain. You’re...you’re soaking wet. You’re freezing.” Finn’s brows drew together as he realized Poe was trembling a little all over.

“<I went for a run. It rained. I fell.>” 

Logically, Finn knew that the words coming across BB’s screen were in the same neutral tone as they’d always been, but he could read the annoyance in Poe’s hands and face. 

“And so what, you just think you’re going to lie here and freeze and get sick?” In his growing frustration, he forgot all about signing. He reached for Poe, surprised when the man actually let himself be pulled up to a sitting position. Finn sat down beside him, pulling off his wet shirt, and falling back into a routine he hadn’t had to use for a while now: field first aid, part of standard Stormtrooper training. “<Where does it> hurt?” Finn asked, then began running his hands over Poe’s body as BB rolled around, distressed.

Poe pointed to his right knee, hand beginning to tremble violently, then nodded his consent when Finn hesitated at the closure of his pants. Finn threw the sopping pants aside and took off his own jacket - well, Poe’s jacket - slinging it around Poe’s shoulders while he could look at the knee.

It was bloody, and bruised, but Poe could bend it without too much trouble. Finn was more worried about the continued shaking. He made an executive decision to forgo a bacta patch on the knee for the moment, instead lifting up Poe’s blankets and wrapping the two of them together in them. He slid his hands around Poe’s shaking and frigid body, trying to leach the cold from Poe’s skin, replace it with his own heat.

He tucked his head in Poe’s neck, and though he knew he couldn’t hear him, Finn began to murmur into Poe’s hair. “I wish I knew how to help you. I don’t-” Emotion made his breath hitch. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t stand watching you...slowly die like this, Poe. And I don’t mean that literally, so don’t get any ideas…”

He kept talking, as Poe’s shaking slowed, then stopped, and his body regained a normal temperature. Presently, he felt Poe’s hand settle against his clothed hip, then begin to move, the fingers tracing over his pants in a steady pattern.

The movement triggered something in Finn, something familiar, and his palm felt itchy. He leaned back to look Poe in the eyes, then trusted Poe to catch his words through lip reading. “What are you doing, on my hip?”

Poe chewed his bottom lip. Sitting up a little, he reached for the data pad on his nightstand and began typing. He handed it off to Finn. 

**[It’s called spelling. Like writing words against your skin. It’s another form of communication… people who are blind and deaf use it, too. Like my best friend in grade school.]**

“Do you-” Finn cut himself off when Poe pointed to the data pad, then looked expectantly at him. Finn handed it back. He was so careful, so conscious that Poe was probably the most vulnerable he’d ever seen him, and if Finn said or did the wrong thing...he could lose this moment forever. 

Poe showed him the screen again.  **[Don’t want BB to hear. He worries.]**

Finn’s brow furrowed, and he signed, “<Okay.>” He took the datapad back from Poe.  **[Did you do that...spelling...when I was in my coma? I… remember something in my hand.]**

As Poe read his message, his cheeks reddened.  **[Yes. Sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.]**

Finn frowned.  **[Why not?]**

**[Because I...used you to pour out all my frustration. To say all the things I couldn’t say to anyone who would actually know what I was saying.]**

After reading his message, Finn looked into Poe’s eyes for a moment, then cupped Poe’s face, letting his lips brush over Poe’s in a tender kiss. He swept up to Poe’s forehead, placing a kiss there too, before picking up the datapad again. 

**[You keep protecting us, Poe. Me, BB, Jess, Snap - like we wouldn’t be able to handle it if you told us what was wrong. But it’s not helping, honey. If you’re constantly worried about upsetting us, you’re never going to be able to say what you need to say.]**

Finn waited until Poe had read through his entire message before he deliberately held out his hand, palm up. 

Lip trembling, Poe looked at it, then back at Finn. Finn brought Poe’s hand up, resting the fingers in his palm. “Tell me. Whatever you want to say. Tell me.” 

Poe continued to look at Finn, reading his lips, and Finn feared he’d chose the wrong way to unravel Poe’s defenses. Then, Poe looked down at Finn’s hand, and began to move his fingers. Suddenly, they were moving faster than Finn could interpret the movements, blurring into a flurry of gestures. Poe began to shake again, his fingers stuttering against Finn’s palm. Tears began to flow steadily from his eyes, and just as quickly as he’d started, he stopped, burying his face in Finn’s chest, sobs wracking his body. Finn pulled him in close, squeezing him tight with warm arms. He could still feel the press of fingers, moving in pattern, where Poe’s hand had ended up, against his stomach.  

“Let it out, baby,” he murmured, tearing up a little himself. “I love you so much. I love you so much, Poe.” He continued to talk to Poe, letting Poe feel the breath in his hair and the pattern of his lips against Poe’s scalp, as Poe’s fingers flew over Finn’s stomach, and somehow, even though they weren’t speaking the same languages, they were communicating. 

As Poe’s sobs eased, he tipped his head back, finding Finn’s lips again. “<Thank you. Thank you.>”

Finn brushed his lips along Poe’s jaw, more as a comfort to both of them than a move for anything intimate. He synced his breaths with Poe for a bit, before taking the datapad up again.  **[What if you wrote out what you were feeling? That way no one but you and your therapist would see it.]**

Poe chewed on his lip as he read, and nodded.  **[I can try. Finn, I WANT to get better. I do. I’m not trying to get worse.]**

Finn cupped Poe’s face again, letting him read Finn’s lips. “I believe you.”

Poe’s bottom lip trembled. “<Thank you.>”

“<Poe.>” Sure of his attention, Finn did the best he could. “<I like you.>” Poe smiled, but Finn shook his head. “<No, I  _ like _ you. Like you  _ a lot _ .>”

Poe’s eyes widened, and he crossed his arms over his chest, then picked up the datapad.  **[Love?]**

Finn nodded. “<I love you,>” he repeated with the proper sign.

Poe repeated the gesture so quickly, Finn was still interpreting it when Poe had wrapped his arms around Finn and hugged him tight, burying his head in Finn’s chest again.

Finn placed a kiss in Poe’s hair, before sliding away. “<Bacta,>” he explained at Poe’s confused look, before pointing at Poe’s knee. On his way to the fresher, he leaned down to pat BB, who had sat himself in his charging station, knowing Finn and Poe preferred privacy when they were in bed together. BB chirped contentedly, scanning Poe’s vitals and finding them satisfactory. The droid sounded pleased with himself.

When Finn returned with the bacta patch, Poe was chewing on his lip and typing hesitantly on the datapad. Carefully, he attended to Poe’s bloody knee, kissing the top of the bacta patch when he was done. Poe looked up at that, and smiled tenderly, then beckoned him up. When Finn was leaning against the wall, Poe propped up in his lap, he waited as Poe slowly, shyly signed. “<Will you stay with me while I type?>”

Finn’s sign in response was simple.

“<Yes.>”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: explicit content

Finn picked up the blaster with a quick breath. He knew how to use it, dammit. He was just having a stupid mental block. Deliberately, he tried to clear his mind as he pulled the trigger, as he’d been taught to do in the First Order. His heartbeat quickened as he attempted to hit the target, but his mood was already falling. He sighed when he hit the button to pull the target back to him, and saw that barely any of his shots had landed in the target zone. He felt a wash of shame. If this had been the First Order, a Stormtrooper with this bad of aim would have been taken for reprogramming and never be seen again.

  
Did he really need the threat of death hanging over him to perform well? He shook his head. Ridiculous, he thought, even as he swallowed nervously and thought of Takodana, Starkiller. He flicked the safety on, contemplating loading up another target and going again when he heard the telltale sound of BB-8 spinning on the ground, and set the blaster down, turning to greet Poe instead.

  
He caught the smile on Poe’s face about two seconds before the man was pulling him into a big hug, then brushing his lips across Finn’s. “<Hi,>” he signed, smile beaming as BB-8 beeped a greeting, too.  
Finn lifted one of his hands regretfully from Poe’s ass and signed his greeting back, then pulled Poe back for another kiss. When they broke apart, Poe looked at him expectantly.

  
“<So.>” Poe raised his eyebrows at Finn expectantly, as if Finn should know what he was talking about. Finn gulped, then shrugged, and Poe rolled his eyes. “<You forgot.>”

  
“Is there an answer that gets me out of being the worst boyfriend ever?” Finn responded, signing what he could. Boyfriend, at least, he had covered. Poe had taught him that three weeks ago.

  
With a sardonic smile, Poe shook his head, then cupped Finn’s face, planting a solid kiss there. “<I forgive you, though.>”

  
Finn touched his chin in thanks with a wink.

  
“<I had a meeting with Leia today, remember?>”

  
“<Oh shit!>”

  
Poe laughed soundlessly, as he always did when Finn remembered to cuss in sign.

  
“<How did it go?>”

  
Poe pursed his lips, obviously trying to keep a straight face, even though his fingers were flying in excitement. “<She said yes. Yes to on-planet only. No leaving the atmosphere. Still. Yes! I get to take Black One up tomorrow!>”

  
“<Shit! Baby!>” Finn dropped his hands so he could pick Poe up around the waist and swing him in congratulations. “<I am so proud of you,>” he told him when he’d done one revolution.

  
Poe flushed. “<Thank you.>” He kissed Finn thoroughly. “<Seriously. Thank you. Without you… I’d probably only be leaving this planet as a passenger. Thank you. I love you.>”

  
“<I love you,>” Finn returned easily, as BB-8 whirred around them and beeped it’s happiness. Finn was still laughing when Poe kissed him again, and the failed extra target practice completely slipped Finn’s mind.  
—————————–  
“Cadet Finn, what are you doing here?”

  
Finn jumped at the voice, turning away from his outpost, watching the control room from a discreet corner, to greet Leia. “Ma’am. Um.”

  
Her lips twisted sardonically. “Today is Commander Dameron’s first flight out, right?” She nodded toward the entrance of the control room, and Finn swallowed, then walked in, grateful.

  
“And how’s our boy doing?” Leia asked the skeletal control crew.

  
“Looks great up there, like always. Well within standard operating procedures. Damn glad to see him back in the air, General.”

  
“He’s magnificent,” Finn said, in awe despite having witnessed Poe’s style first hand before. “Absolutely magnificent.”

  
“No argument here,” Leia murmured, folding her arms and watching the display with a keen eye.

  
Finn heard BB-8 beep over the comm, and then the computerized voice of Poe’s program was coming through. “Black One, coming in for a landing.”

  
The flight control operator began directing Poe, but Finn was already turning away to meet Poe on the runway.

  
He watched Poe stick the landing, then climb out of Black One, just like he’d done when Finn had first realized he was alive. Poe slid his flight helmet off and shook his hair out, and it was all Finn could do not to groan right there on the tarmac.

  
The running hug Poe gave him this time was accompanied by an electric kiss that jolted through Finn’s system like a shot of caf. Poe’s calf slid around Finn’s, bringing their bodies close enough for Finn to feel Poe’s hardon through his flight suit.

  
Finn broke the kiss, gasping for air, grateful for sign language, however shaky his hands were. “<Do you have to talk to anyone?>”

  
Poe shook his head. “<My room?>”

  
Finn nodded, grinning. “<Your room.>”

  
When they got there, Poe signed BB-8 into privacy mode, BB-8 giving a little chirp that was part wink, part nudge, entirely for Finn’s benefit. Finn rolled his eyes, but blew BB-8 a kiss right before he went into privacy mode.

  
“<Safety signs?>” Finn asked before wrapping his arms around Poe’s waist again.

  
Poe went through the special signs they’d established for “I consent,” “Keep going,” “Give me a minute,” “Stop,” and “You’re blowing my fucking mind, Finn, you’re amazing and I love you.”

  
Strangely, the last sign had been one that Poe had insisted on establishing.

  
Right now, though, he was frantically signing “I consent” over and over again, with a huge grin on his face.

  
Finn lifted his hands to sign it back, then, because they were handy, cupped Poe’s face and brought him in for a kiss. Finn could live for this, for Poe’s lips on his, the quiet of their heartbeats pounding together, speaking for them. Eight months ago, a year ago, more, all that time, time he classified now as Before Poe as much as he classified it as Before Freedom, Finn would have said that sex without sound would be…dissatisfying somehow. He would have cited his lovers’ moans, their praise, as a major part of what made sex work for him.

  
But Finn had learned that sex with Poe was completely satisfying, despite the lack of verbal communication. Because Poe’s body, Poe’s lips, Poe’s quick breaths told him everything he needed to know. And it had become his personal goal in life to work Poe up, down, and sideways until Poe tiredly gave the “You’re blowing my fucking mind” signal right before he came, gratification making Finn follow quickly after.

  
Today, though. Today Poe was giving all the signals that he wanted to lead, from the way his tongue was aggressive against Finn’s, or the way he was keeping Finn’s arms pinned at his sides. Finn let Poe push him gently back onto the bed, then straddle him.

  
Poe tugged at the hem of Finn’s shirt, so Finn helped pull it over his head, and then Poe was all over him, kissing everywhere, sucking bruises over his chest, nipping at his neck, sucking at his nipples until Finn arched his back and cried out. All the time, Poe watched him, intent, a little smirk on his face. Watched him for his reaction, yes, but also for any signs Finn needed to make, and damn if that didn’t make Finn feel safe.

  
Poe drew away from Finn long enough to tear at his flight suit, then signal “<Pants>” to Finn with such authority, Finn smiled back and happily complied. Poe’s eyes glittered as he watched Finn disrobe then lay back, cock bobbing back and forth with the motion of the bed.  
“<Ride?>” Finn signed, watching Poe’s body, scarred and perfect in its imperfections slowly come into view. At Poe’s grin, Finn signed a quick “<I consent>” with an added wink.

  
“<I love you.>” Poe reached behind Finn for the bottle of slick, and hastily stretched himself, although it didn’t take much, not with the preemptive celebratory sex they’d had the night before. Soon, he was sliding onto Finn’s slickened cock, both of them sighing.  
Finn held up his hands for Poe to steady himself on, and Poe laced their fingers together, squeezing tight. He began to roll his hips on Finn, just small little circles as he bit down hard on his lip.  
Poe let go of Finn’s hands to run his up Finn’s chest, tracing over Finn’s stomach, spelling letters into words Finn knew were praises, even if he couldn’t understand them. Each touch was electric, stinging with pleasure through Finn’s skin and into him, into his soul.

  
Eventually Poe collapsed onto his chest, closing his eyes, losing himself to his own pleasure as Finn stroked through his hair. The slow grind of Poe’s hips felt amazing, and Finn imagined staying like this forever, happy and content.

  
Stars slid by, galaxies even, and Poe was clenching around him, coming messily between them, gasping for breath on his shoulder, and the passing thought, Kriff, Finn, you’re amazing entered and left his brain before he had a chance to cling to it, before he was coming deep inside Poe with a shout.

  
In the aftermath, Poe was still tracing words on Finn’s chest, and Finn continually pressed kisses into Poe’s hair, and all was silent and perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm animalasaysrauer on tumblr, and if you're reading me for the first time, I have about 480k worth of other Stormpilot fics published here, so if you feel like it, check it out. :)


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